Ensilage-elevator.



E. W. BURGESS.

Patented J uly 17, 1917.

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ENSILAGE ELEVATOR. APPLICATION mm) NOV. so. 1914.

Patented Julyl7, 1917i 3 SHEETSSHEET'2.

E. W. BURGESS.

ENSILAGE ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30. 1914.

Patented July 17, 1917.

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EDWARD W. BURGESS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL HAR- VESTER COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ENSILAGE-ELEVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1'7, 1917.

Application filed November 30, 1914. Serial No. 834,810.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD W. BURGESS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ensilage-Elevators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to elevators and carriers, and is designed for use in particular in connection with cylindrical receptacles, such as silos, whether they be of the pit or above ground type, the object being to provide a mechanism of the class indicated that will automatically scrape the silage or other similar material in relatively thin sheets from the surface within the wall toward the center and deliver it to an ele- 'vator, the function of which is to elevate and convey the material to a point without the wall; to provide a follower or seal movable within the elevator as it descends with the removal of the material and excluding the circulation of air or the entrance of frost within the space occupied by the surface scraping elements; to provide means for raising or lowering the mechanism within the receptacle, and controlling the action of the scraping and discharging means by a counterbalancing mechanism.

These objects are attained by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a sectional side elevation of a cylindrical silo having my improved silage elevator forming a part thereof.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the gatherer and a part of its drivinv mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation of the gatherer and its driving mechanism on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 4c is a side elevation of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detached detail of part of the silage gathering means.

Fig. 6 is a sideelevation of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a detached detail of part of the elevator driving mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a side elevationof the delivery end of the elevator trough and endless bucket conveyer, showing the manner where by it is supported from the wall. ofthe silo.

Referring to the drawings, wherein the same reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, 1- represents members 28 secured thereto.

a common form of an endless bucket conveyer, 2 a rectangular trough in which the conveying lead of the endless conveyer operates, 3 a driving shaft journaled in bearings at the delivery end of the trough and having a driving sprocket at secured thereto that transmits motion to the endless bucket conveyer l. 5 represents a bevel pinion secured to the shaft 3 and meshing with a corresponding pinion 6 that is slidably mounted upon a vertically disposed shaft 7 having its upper end journaled in a bearing 8 carried by a bracket member 9 that is free to turn about the axis of the shaft 3, the lower end of the shaft 7 having a universal coupling member 10 secured thereto whereby it may be operatively connected with a suitable source of power. 22 represents a spout that is pivotally connected with the deliveryend of the conveyer and which may be manipulated in a manner to discharge the material into any receiver. The lower end of the conveyer trough is located within the silo and preferably as near its center as practical, where it is free to turn about the axis of a shaft 23 that is journaled in a transverse bearing 24 forming part of a bracket member 25 that is secured to a follower member 26, including horizontally disposed frame members 27 spaced apart upon opposite sides of the conveyer trough and having radially disposed Secured to the shaft 23 is a sprocket wheel 29, that receives the endless conveyer andis driven thereby. 30 represents a spur pinion secured to one end of the shaft 23 and meshing with a spur gear 31 secured to one end of a shaft 32 that is journaled in a bearing 33 forming part of the bracket member 25, and 34 represents a worm secured to the opposite end of the shaft and engaging with a worm wheel. 35 secured to the upper end of a vertically disposed shaft 36 journaled in a hearing 37 preferably forming a part of the bracket member 38 represents a fourarmed spider member secured to the lower end of the vertical shaft. 39 represents radially disposed bars having their inner ends secured to the arms of the spiderand extending horizontally toward the wall of the cylindrical 'receptacle, and having secured to their outside ends a circular track 4L0, and 41 represents a sheet metal plate the .whole forming a rotatable disk-like member having a central opening 42 and a diameter less than the inside diameter of the receptacle. 43 represents toothed scrapers vibratably mounted upon the outside ends of the bars 39, having an angular form, with the ends in the direction of rotation of the disk and adapted to operate close to the wall but not in actual contact therewith by means of rollers 44 rotatably mounted upon the free ends of the scrapers and rolling upon the inner surface or wall of the silo, and yieldingly held inengagement therewith by means of tension springs 45 connecting'the opposite ends of the scrapers with the rotatable disk. The vibratable movement of the scrapers is designed to permit. an eflicient operation of the mechanism if the wall of the silo should depart .from a true circular form, and the scrapers may be adjustable for use in connection with silos having variable diameters within certain limits. The scrapers operate at an angle to radial lines in a manner to crowd the material 'inward' toward the center of the disk during its rotation; Spirally disposed upon the disk arefixedscrapers 4G forthe purpo'se'of loosening the material from the surface, the same as those at the periphery of the disk,'said scrapers being arranged-in series and gradually increasing in width, thereby accommodating the increase in bulk as the material is caused to flow inward toward the central opening 42. The receiving end of the elevator trough is disposed at one side of the axis of the disk, and the path of movement ofth'e conveyer buckets is close to the upper surface of the bars 39' and within the central opening 42 of the disk to receive the material as it is deliveredby the rotatable disk. 47 represents a hopper-like structure forming a boot for the elevator,

. open at the bottom and having downwardly diverging walls that terminate at a line coinciding with the line of the disk, and their upper walls at the lower end of the conveyer trough for the purpose of directing the flow of material toward the elevator buckets. The arms of the spider 88 are provided with angular plates 48 that extend in a direction to assist the, scraper blades in delivering the material within the path of movement of the conveyer buckets, The follower 26 sustains the operative parts of the mechanism, and the frame members 27 carry rollers 49 that travel 'upon the track 41.0 of the gatherer and prevent it risingfrom engagementwith the material. The follower is'provided with segmental double flooring members 50, with an intervening packing 51,

and a fleXiblevalve ring 52 is secured thereto that, closely engages thewa'll'of the silo in a manner to prevent a circulation of air or the entrance of frost in the space-between thefollower and the gatherer; or the follower frame may carry a quantity of hay or other packing material suliicient to exclude air. 53 represents a vertically disposed lifting member having the lower ends of its sides secured to the follower frame upon opposite sides of the elevator and sustained by truss members 5-51; extending radially outward and downward and secured to the frame of the follower near its periphery, and 55 represents a cable having one end secured to the member 53 and leading upward toward the center of the roof of the silo passes over a sheave 56 and then downward and outward over a sheave 57 upon the silo wall. 58 represents a weight box connected with the free end of the cable without the wall of the silo and which may be loaded in a manner to counterbalance more or less of the weight of theelevator mechanism and control the engagement of the-gatherer with the material and to permit the operator at will to raise or lower the mechanism within the receptacle. The body of the elevator trough 2 may be as one piece, having a length such as to permit it to reach from the top to the bottom of the silo, or it may be made up of sections as indicated in Fig. 1, whereby it may be lengthened or short ened as circumstances may require.

Inoperation motion is transmitted to the endless conveyer by any preferred source of power, and through it to the rotatable gatherer, and when a suflicient amount of material has been removed from the receptacle the operator will raise the scraper mechanism out of contact with the material and permit the clearing of the endless conveyer, and then it is allowed to descend and ei'lectively seal the contents of the receptacle under the disk against the circulation of air or the entrance of frost. The mechanism is well adapted for use in connection with cylindrical silos of the pit type, or with cylindrical manur'epits, and if the silo be built above the ground it can be simply a tank construction, with all side ospenings dispensed with.

Having'shown one embodiment of my invention, I do not wish that it be restricted to the specific details of construction as illustrated and described, as many changes may be made in form and proportions of the various parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A conveyer including a horizontally disposed rotatable element operative within a cylindrical receptacle and provided with inwardly yielding material collectors engaging with the wallsof the receptacle.

2. A conveyer including a horizontally disposed rotatable element operative within a cylindrical receptacle and provided with inwardly yielding material collectors inclined toward its axis and engaging with the wall of the receptacle and the contained material.

3. A conveyer including a rotatable element operative in substantially a horizontal plane within a cylindrical receptacle and provided with means for collecting and conveying the material toward its axis as it is rotated, and a follower disposed above said rotary element and fitting closely against the wall of the receptacle, said element being rotatable with respect to said follower.

4. A conveyer including a horizontally disposed rotatable disk, and toothed conveyer elements carried thereby and operable to convey material toward the axis thereof, one of said elements being yieldably mounted. a

5. A conveyer including a horizontally disposed rotatable disk, and one or more series of scrapers carried by said disk spaced apart radially and increasing in capacity as they approach the axis of said disk.

6. A conveyer including a horizontally disposed rotatable element, and one or more series of depending scrapers carried by said element spaced apart radially and increasing in depth as they approach the axis of said element.

7. A conveyer including a horizontally disposed rotatable element, one or more series of depending teeth, and scrapers carried by said element spaced apart radially and circumferentially and increasing in depth as they approach the axis of said element.

8. A conveyer including a horizontally disposed rotatable element having a series of spirally arranged fixed material collectors spaced apart radially and secured thereto, and an outside collector pivotally mounted upon the rotatable element and yieldingly held extended in a radial direction.

9. A conveyer including a relatively stationary horizontal frame, a vertically disposed sleeve secured to said frame, a shaft journaled in said sleeve, a worm wheel secured to the upper end of said shaft, a rotatable gatherer secured to the lower end of said shaft below said frame, a worm shaft engaging with said wheel, a sprocket wheel operatively connected to said worm shaft, an elevator trough having its receiving end mounted in a manner permitting its delivery end to be adjusted in varying planes, a sprocket wheel journaled upon the delivery end of said elevator trough, and an endless conveyer mounted upon said sprocket wheels.

10. A conveyer including a relatively stationary horizontal frame, a shield extending above said frame and forming an open bottomed hopper, a carrier operative to elevate and convey material from said hopper, and a substantially horizontal rotatable spiral gatherer located in a plane entirely below said hopper and extending laterally therefrom and operative for collecting and conveying material radially inward toward the.

open bottom of said hopper.

11. A conveyer including a relatively stationary horizontal frame having a centrally disposed opening, a shield extending above the frame to form a hopper around said opening, a conveyer operative within said opening, and a rotatable gatherer operative in a plane below said opening and conveying the material inward radially toward said conveyer, said gatherer including scraper elements disposed in one or more spiral lines terminating at said opening.

'12. A conveyer including a substantially horizontal rotatable collecting member, and a series of scrapers carried by said member increasing in capacity as they approach the axis thereof.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD W. BURGESS.

Witnesses:

C. C. PALMER, F. W. I-IorrMnIs'rER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

